What constitutes a new woman? Would I be considered one? I see a resemblance of myself in this woman. Her carelessness of the need to be so feminine. She does not have to be sitting up perfectly straight at all times. She can be involved with the finances. She does not have to keep her hair in a tight bun or braid. I feel a connection with this woman and know that times are changing. Even the Comedy Theatre is publicly showing the shift in the role of women. We are now authors, artists, and politicians. We are not defined by our households and our husbands. There is no man with this woman. She is independent and surrounded by her books, her papers, and her own thoughts.
After I saw this poster in the streets of London, I knew that the emergence of this New Woman was not a choice, but was necessary. We are surrounded and controlled by the men in our lives, yet our monarch is a woman. Queen Victoria is an inspiration to us all. The Queen can manage the country and her own family, so why can’t other women do the same? A woman could even act in this play, if she truly wanted! Why do we have to be set back by the ways of the Old Women? The New Woman can create this change that Society actually needs. Why can women not vote when we are people too living in this country? What makes us so inferior?
Editorial Commentary:
Sarah Grand described the New Woman as “stronger, better, more beautiful creature than the blockhead majority can conceive” in her article “The New Woman and the Old”. The text continues to praise the ways of the New Woman and this London Comedy Theatre poster displays these thoughts. Grand claimed that she is “altering always” and “progressing by degrees”. This woman shown in the poster is doing exactly that. She has spent her time with books and articles, with no husband or children in sight. She gathers knowledge from readings and can use this information for its benefit. Her papers are strewn about with a sense of carelessness, yet she cares so much about the progress of her country and society, much like this New Woman’s commentary. She cares about her sovereign and the hope for the future of women that the Queen is instilling in the nation.
Grand also illustrated “the New Woman confesses that she is full of faults. Doubtless in some phases her vanity is overweening.” This description can also be seen in this poster published by the Comedy Theatre of London. Her vanity shows conformity of both the New Woman and the Old. She presents her old ways by sitting politely with her hands interlocked. She does not stand out when you first look at the poster, much like how the Old Woman would not want to attract unnecessary attention. However, this woman also shows the ways of the New Woman. Her hair is not perfectly done as it looks as if it was pulled out of her face in a hurry and without any care. She is also sitting with poor posture, not seeming to worry what a man would think of her at the moment.
Citation:
Grand, Sarah. “The New Woman and the Old.” 1898.
Morrow, Albert, “Affiche anglaise pour le Comedy Theatre, ‘The New Woman,’" Digital Public Library of America, http://dp.la/item/f8909d61be0f1c2fd9a11e149475a2a8.